In ring laser gyros it is important for obvious reasons to have a gyro with a long lifetime. Presently, ring laser gyros have a ring laser gyro block with two anodes, a cathode and mirrors placed at the ends of the ring laser gyro block. A laser cavity exists for lasing to operate the ring laser gyro. In the past, electrodes were made with a corrosive material such as Invar, a nickel/steel alloy. In the oxidation process of the corrosive material, the material would take away a lot of oxygen in the ring laser gyro which degraded the cathode and mirror environment and in turn degraded the cathode and the mirrors. As a result of the shortened life of the cathode or the mirrors, the life of the ring laser gyro was shortened as well. It would be beneficial to create a cathode and mirror environment that did not degrade the cathode or the mirrors so that the life of the gyro could be extended.
A ring laser gyro uses electrodes plated with a high corrosive resistant material to extend the life of the ring laser gyro. The material creates an environment in the ring laser gyro that will prevent degradation of the ring laser gyro cathode and the mirrors which in turn will lengthen the life of a ring laser gyro.